Category talk:Vinyl Guide

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Moving old vinyl guide discussion to here. --Axon 21:26, 7 September 2006 (CDT)

Objective vs. subjective information and "common knowledge"

There is an utter dearth of information on this subject. This is kind of a big issue for an HA site entry, since most information out there is not that good, and runs contrary to the goals of the site.

However, such information should still be categorized. The fact of the matter is that a lot of it does make some engineering sense, and hardly anybody ignores it entirely, but a clear distinction should be made between the "common wisdom" of turntable design and performance, and the performance metrics that are measurable and objectively audible. -User:Axon 21 April 2006

More comments on this. I suggest that objective discussions about turntables should be separated out from the "usual" information, because the "usual" stuff usually does have some useful physical basis that can be discussed in isolation. A separate evaluation section makes good sense to tie all the knowledge together with real-world measurements.

At the same time, the usual audiophile statements should not be dismissed out of hand, because that's most of the information that's out there. But it should be disclaimed and possibly refuted with objective measurements. -User:Axon 22 April 2006

Questions and elaborations

These are things I feel should be elaborated in the text to make it more objective and measurable/audible. Reply here if you feel it should not be discussed.

  • What are the exact mastering differences between classic LPs and their contemporary remasters on CD? This has a big impact on the discussion of how "good" vinyl sounds. -User:Axon 21 April 2006
  • How can one measure the impact of the various components of a turntable, when upgraded? How can a plinth or a tonearm be objectively evaluated? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
  • How much mechanical decoupling exists with a belt? Is there a definable transfer function between the vibrations at the motor axle and the vibrations at the platter? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
  • Are all belt drive motors synchronous? I was under the impression that a large number of them were DC servo. -User:Axon 21 April 2006
  • Many audiophiles believe the tonearm has an impact on the midrange/treble, but but the basic mechanical parameters (mass etc) cannot explain this. Materials might. Is there a objective metric for this? -User:Axon 21 April 2006
  • What are the exact issues with S-shaped tonearms? -User:Axon 21 April 2006